it's only my opinion..
I did get the HC4000 about 18 months ago after doing plenty research and came to the conclusion that it really punches above it's weight .
It is possible to watch with a lamp on, but main lights, / curtains open it washes out. Im using a custom made Black out cloth 110" screen., projectoer just backed off from max zoom size My room can be totally light controlled though so that isn't an issue. I have a plasma for daytime veiwing.
No lens shift could be an issue, but it isn't for me as fortunately I can place it in the right spot.
There's a couple of massive threads on this projector on avforums / avsforums , it's a very underrated projector.
I got this just before the 3d projectors were becoming affordable, and these tend to be much brighter as they need the lumens for the 3D. ( but im not interested in 3d, I wanted the best 2D quality)
Consider whether you want DLP or LCD, imo, DLP is preferable. I think the epsons have lense shift.
You should be able to get what you need for under a grand.
If you don't need 1080p, you can get all sorts for about £500